Only two other catchers in the majors, Johnny Bench and Ivan Rodriguez, were younger than Mauer when they passed 1,000. Both were 26.

Not bad for a kid who grew up with his brothers smacking balls through the neighbors' windows in St. Paul.

The pride of Cretin-Derham Hall made his mark with a single down the left field line in the first inning off White Sox starter John Danks. Then he watched from first base as umpire Brian O'Nora rolled the ball to the Twins dugout for a souvenir. In a career filled with accolades, it was a relatively quiet moment of triumph.

Meanwhile, the Twins have now opened a seven-game lead over the White Sox, as they sit atop the AL Central with 18 games left to play in the regular season. The two rivals meet again tonight at U.S. Cellular Field.